1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to radiation cross-linked polyamides and to articles, particularly heat-recoverable articles, made therefrom.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
Polymers differ in their response to ionizing radiation, e.g. high energy electrons. Some are cross-linked, with little degradation, by suitable radiation doses, while others cannot be usefully cross-linked. The balance between cross-linking and degradation can in some cases be improved by mixing the polymer with a suitable unsaturated radiation cross-linking agent (sometimes called a "pro-rad") prior to irradiation. Reference may be made for example to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,858,259, 3,215,671, 3,681,216, 3,763,222, 3,970,770, 3,985,716, 3,911,192, 3,894,118, 3,840,619, 3,968,015, 3,995,091, 4,073,830, 4,121,001 and 4,188,276, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference Heat-recoverable articles can be made from radiation cross-linked articles, but they are liable to split if the polymer has been significantly degraded by the radiation.
Cross-linking of polyamides by radiation and grafting of monomers onto polyamides using radiation are discussed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,858,259, 2,965,553, 3,681,216 and 3,711,389 and U.K. Pat. No. 1,184,599. However, the known processes suffer from serious disadvantages, for example failure to produce adequate cross-linking, excessive degradation of the polyamide, and impractical processing techniques.